Dawn Arseneau

Teaching yoga to teenagers is a beautiful mix of heart and humour, patience and presence. It’s nothing like leading a studio class filled with adults who chose to be there, arrived on time, and probably drank a green smoothie that morning.

Teens are different, so the expectations need to be different, too.

In a school setting, students don’t get to skip class because they’re having a tough day. They can’t bow out because they’re low-energy, overwhelmed, or navigating something heavy at home. They show up as they are: tired, stressed, distracted, awkward, brilliant. And yoga, taught with this in mind, can become a space where all of that is allowed.

Here are some gentle, realistic tips for teaching yoga to teenagers with compassion and flexibility:

1. Be flexible

Yes, yoga is about flexibility of the body… but with teens, you need flexibility of approach even more.

Some days the class will feel grounded; some days it will feel chaotic.
Some days you’ll spend more time redirecting than flowing.

Let the class be what it needs to be. If the room feels restless, shorten the sequence. If students seem tired, slow things down. If they’re buzzing with energy, build a more dynamic flow. There are days I change to a restorative class at the last minute when the energy in the room tells me it’s not the best day for a vinyasa flow.

Adaptability is what keeps the practice accessible, not the poses.

2. understand

Teenagers live in a constant state of “Is everyone looking at me?” They’re hyper-aware of their bodies, their abilities, and their peers. Yoga will bring up awkward moments – and that’s okay.

Normalize wobbling. Normalize laughing when things don’t go as planned.

When you treat awkwardness as a natural part of movement and growth, students start to loosen their shoulders, breathe deeper, and try again.

Encourage them to focus on a drishti, a focus point, rather than their peers. If they’re comfortable, they can even close their eyes. This brings the attention within, encouraging self-awareness rather than judgement.

3. forgive

School is structured around expectations, assessments, and outcomes. Yoga can be something completely different.

Offer forgiveness freely:

• Forgiveness for not remembering a pose
• Forgiveness for coming in low-energy
• Forgiveness for drifting off during savasana
• Forgiveness for the days they can’t give much

Your class might be the only place in their day where effort – not performance – is enough.

I teach theory to my yoga classes, so there is a level of assessment (usually required in a school setting), and I give them a weekly participation mark. But I always assure them that practice looks different for everyone, and can look different on different days. So long as they are making the effort, they are practicing.

4. allow

Adults choose yoga when they feel like it. Teens are required to show up whether they slept well or whether they feel emotionally steady.

They will have days they can’t give you their best, days they can’t focus, days they roll out their mat and barely participate.

Accepting that doesn’t mean lowering expectations; it means aligning them with reality.

Teen yoga isn’t about perfect form; it’s about meeting students where they are.

Instead of demanding full participation, I give options:

• A standing version and a seated version
• A balance of dynamic and restorative poses
• Variations and modifications, including use of props

These choices make the practice empowering and allow students to show up from where they are.

5. invite

Teens appreciate autonomy:

• “Try this variation if it feels good in your body.”
• “See what this shape feels like today.”
• “You don’t need to be good at it; you just need to breathe.”
• “Your version of the pose is the right version.”

This builds permission, not pressure.

I always ask students to at least try, to take a child’s pose if they need to, but to do what they can rather than sitting the whole practice out.

6. Laugh

Laughter opens the room. It softens the energy and builds trust.

There are times when it’s okay to let the class feel fun, playful, human. A small moment of shared humour can transform the whole group dynamic.

7. ground

Teens don’t get many chances to rest.
Savasana or a short guided breathing practice can be the emotional reset they didn’t know they needed.

I insist on quiet during practice, especially savasana, but I allow plenty of choice for their resting pose. It doesn’t need to look like corpse pose to have grounding qualities. Some of my students use props to support themselves; others take a fetal position. It is more important that they are comfortable than that the pose look perfect.

Teaching Teen Yoga Is Less About Poses, More About Presence

The real magic happens not in the perfect alignment, but in the space you create:

A space where it’s okay to be tired.
A space where it’s okay to be awkward.
A space where effort is enough.
A space where they can show up imperfectly and still belong.

That’s what they’ll remember. That’s what makes yoga stick.

And that’s what makes your work so meaningful.